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Sergey Brin

Computer scientist and entrepreneur · Computer scientist · Entrepreneur · Business executive

b. 1973 · Born in Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia) · 3 min read

  • Last verified: 12 November 2026
  • Sources: 4
  • Reviewed by Muse — Phase D second review (independent check)
Sergey Brin speaking at a TED conference in 2010
Sergey Brin at TED 2010, by Steve Jurvetson / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0). Cropped to 3:4 portrait format for display; no other changes. · Licence: CC BY 2.0 · Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sergey_Brin_Ted_2010.jpg

Soviet-born American computer scientist who co-founded Google with Larry Page in 1998 and later led Alphabet as president until 2019.

Early Life

Sergey Mikhailovich Brin was born on 21 August 1973 in Moscow, in the Soviet Union, into a Jewish family. His parents, Mikhail and Eugenia Brin, were both graduates of Moscow State University. In 1979, when he was six, the family emigrated to the United States. He studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Maryland, earning his degree in 1993, and then went to Stanford University for graduate study in computer science.

Education

Brin earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland in 1993 and a master's degree in computer science from Stanford University. He began a doctorate at Stanford but left it unfinished to found Google.

Career

Brin earned a degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland in 1993 and went to Stanford University for graduate study, where he met Larry Page in 1995. Together they built the BackRub search project and the PageRank algorithm, and in September 1998 they founded Google Inc., leaving their doctoral studies unfinished. Brin became president of technology at Google. When Google was reorganised under Alphabet in 2015, he became president of the parent company. On 3 December 2019 he and Page stepped down from their executive roles, and Sundar Pichai became chief executive of Alphabet; Brin and Page remained co-founders, board members and controlling shareholders. In 2023, after the launch of ChatGPT, Brin returned to hands-on work at Google, contributing to the Gemini AI models without an executive title, and he is listed among the authors of the Gemini technical reports of 2023 and 2025.

Achievements

Brin's central achievement is Google, which he built with Larry Page from a Stanford research project. Page devised PageRank and Brin supplied the data-mining expertise that turned it into a working search engine; the two founded Google in September 1998. Brin served as Google's president of technology and, after the creation of Alphabet in 2015, as Alphabet's president until December 2019. He oversaw Google X, the research laboratory behind self-driving cars and Google Glass. He has funded Parkinson's disease research, having publicly disclosed a genetic predisposition to the disease. After stepping back from executive roles, he returned to hands-on work at Google in 2023, contributing to the Gemini family of AI models.

Legacy

Brin is remembered as the co-founder who supplied the data-mining and engineering depth behind Google's search, and as the founder most closely associated with the company's experimental side, through Google X and its self-driving car and Glass projects. His return to hands-on AI work in 2023, years after stepping back from management, is unusual among technology founders and reflects the centrality of artificial intelligence to Google's next phase. Because he is a living person whose company and public roles change frequently, this profile records only documented milestones and will need regular updating from reliable sources.

Major Achievements

  • With Larry Page, co-created the PageRank algorithm and co-founded Google in September 1998
  • Served as Google's president of technology and later as president of Alphabet from 2015 to December 2019
  • Oversaw Google X, the company's research laboratory behind self-driving cars and Google Glass
  • Funded Parkinson's disease research, having publicly disclosed a genetic predisposition to the disease
  • Returned to hands-on work at Google in 2023 to contribute to the Gemini family of AI models, and is listed among the authors of the Gemini technical reports

Contributions

Brin's work joined data mining with search. His contribution to PageRank was to gather and analyse the web's link data at scale, turning Page's ranking idea into a working engine. At Google X he pushed the company into long-term research projects, and in his return to AI work he has contributed directly to the Gemini models.

Notable Works

  • PageRank algorithm (co-creator)
  • Google (co-founder, 1998)
  • Alphabet Inc. (co-founder, 2015; president 2015-2019)
  • Google X (research laboratory)
  • Gemini AI models (contributor from 2023)

Milestones

  • 1973 — Born on 21 August in Moscow, Soviet Union Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • 1979 — Emigrated with his family to the United States, aged six Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • 1993 — Earned a degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)
  • 1995 — Met Larry Page at Stanford University Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)
  • 1998 — Co-founded Google Inc. with Larry Page Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • 2015 — Became president of Alphabet Source: EBSCO; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)
  • 2019 — Stepped down as president of Alphabet; Sundar Pichai became chief executive Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)
  • 2023 — Returned to hands-on work at Google on the Gemini AI models Source: EBSCO

Timeline

  1. 21 August 1973

    Born in Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia)

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  2. 1979

    Emigrated with his family from the Soviet Union to the United States, aged six

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  3. 1993

    Earned a degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)
  4. 1995

    Met Larry Page at Stanford University

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)
  5. 1998-09

    Co-founded Google Inc. with Larry Page

    Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  6. 2015-10

    Became president of Alphabet when Google was reorganised under the new parent company

    Approximate date Source: EBSCO; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)
  7. 3 December 2019

    Stepped down as president of Alphabet with Larry Page; Sundar Pichai became chief executive of Alphabet

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)
  8. 2023

    Returned to hands-on work at Google, contributing to the Gemini AI models

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: EBSCO

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Sergey Brin?

Sergey Brin (born 1973) is a Soviet-born American computer scientist who co-founded Google with Larry Page in 1998. He was president of Alphabet, Google's parent company, from 2015 to 2019, and remains a co-founder, board member and controlling shareholder.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

Where was Sergey Brin born and how did he come to the US?

Brin was born in Moscow in 1973. In 1979, when he was six, his family emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States. He studied at the University of Maryland and Stanford University, where he met Larry Page.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

How did Brin and Page start Google?

Page and Brin met as graduate students at Stanford in 1995. They built a search project called BackRub based on PageRank, published their design in 1998, and founded Google Inc. in September 1998, leaving their doctorates unfinished.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia (Sergey Brin)

What did Sergey Brin do after stepping down in 2019?

Brin stepped down as president of Alphabet on 3 December 2019, together with Page, who stepped down as chief executive. Sundar Pichai became chief executive of Alphabet. Brin remains a co-founder, board member and controlling shareholder, and returned to hands-on work on Google's Gemini AI models in 2023.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; EBSCO

What is Google X?

Google X is Google's research laboratory for long-term experimental projects. Under Brin it worked on self-driving cars and Google Glass, among other projects.

Source: Wikipedia (Sergey Brin); EBSCO

Sources & References

  1. Sergey Brin — Encyclopaedia Britannica — Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 12 November 2026)
  2. Sergey Brin — Wikipedia (cross-check) — Wikipedia (accessed 12 November 2026)
  3. Sergey Brin — EBSCO Research Starters biography — EBSCO (accessed 12 November 2026)
  4. File:Sergey Brin Ted 2010.jpg — Wikimedia Commons (portrait file page) — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 12 November 2026)

Explore More

Written by Abdul Hannan. Reviewed by Muse — Phase D second review (independent check). First published 12 November 2026; last verified 12 November 2026.

Birth date: 21 August 1973 · Date precision: exact.